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Operation Freedom's Sentinel
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * | combatant2 = * Taliban * * Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province | commander1 = Resolute Support Mission: * GEN Austin S. Miller , USA (2018 - Present) * GEN John W. Nicholson, USA (2016 - 2018) * GEN John F. Campbell, USA (2015 - 2016) United States Central Command: * GEN Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., USMC (2019 - Present) * GEN Joseph Votel, USA (2016 - 2019) * GEN Lloyd Austin, USA (2015 - 2016) | commander2 = Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016 - Present) Akhtar Mansour (2015 - 2016) Ayman al-Zawahiri Hafiz Saeed Khan Abdul Haseeb Logari Abdul Rahman Ghaleb Sardar Wali | image = | date = January 1, 2015 - Present | caption = Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan -- Maj. Tracy Schmidt, 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron pilot, conducts pre-flight checks in an F-15E Strike Eagle here before takeoff June 26. Major Schmidt is deployed from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. }} Operation Freedom's Sentinel (OFS) is the official name used by the U.S. Government for the mission succeeding Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in continuation of the Global War on Terrorism. Operation Freedom's Sentinel is part of the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission, which began on January 1, 2015. The primary focus of OFS, "will include two core components: working with allies and partners on Resolute Support, and continuing "counterterrorism operations against the remnants of Al-Qaeda to ensure that Afghanistan is never again used to stage attacks against our homeland." Objectives After thirteen years of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. military and NATO allies shifted focus from major military operations to a smaller role of NATO-led training and assistance. While the bulk of the new mission was under the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission (RS), "a separate 'non-NATO' contingent of U.S. forces will participate in force protection, logistical support and counterterrorism activities." An October 1, 2015, statement by Gen. John F. Campbell, commander, Resolute Support Mission, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan/ISAF, defined the U.S. military's objectives. "U.S. forces are now carrying out two well-defined missions: a Counter-Terrorism (CT) mission against the remnants of Al-Qaeda and the Resolute Support TAA mission in support of Afghan security forces. Our CT and TAA efforts are concurrent and complementary. While we continue to attack the remnants of Al-Qaeda, we are also building the ANDSF so that they can secure the Afghan people, win the peace, and contribute to stability throughout the region." When OFS started U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan were at 9,800 troops. General Campbell requested an additional 1,000 troops while NATO troop levels were built up to a force of about 13,500. His request was granted. As of mid-2018, U.S. troop levels are at 14,000 troops in combined support of NATO RS missions and OFS. Congressional reports The Lead Inspector General for Overseas Contingency Operations (Lead IG) is responsible for submitting a quarterly report on OFS to Congress. The quarterly report describes activities in support of OFS, as well as the work of the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the United States Agency for International Development to promote the U.S. Government’s policy goals in Afghanistan, Excerpts from the January 1, 2018 - March 30, 2018 report: References 01 Category:NATO operations in Afghanistan Category:Military units and formations of NATO Category:Military units and formations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) Category:Military units and formations established in 2014 Category:2014 establishments in Afghanistan Category:Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) involving the United States Category:Foreign relations of Afghanistan